Do you like cows? You must have some sort of affinity for us cows, after all you are reading a Square Cow Movers blog. What do you know about cows, anyway? They are black and white, produce milk, eat grass, have multiple stomachs? If you want to become a true cow-lover, you may want to develop a deeper understanding of cattle.
Go beyond surface-level knowledge of cows saying “moo” to become a true cattle expert. Read some interesting and amazing cattle facts below to truly impress other cows you may happen to converse with.
Cattle Terminology
- Cattle is the correct way to refer to a group of mixed gender and age livestock.
- Cows are mature females who have reproduced.
- Heifers are immature females who have not yet developed the mature characteristics of a cow or had a calf.
- A bull is a mature male who is not castrated.
- A steer is a mature male who is castrated.
- A bullock is a young, uncastrated male.
- Calves are the young of domestic cattle.
Cattle Communication
- Cows “moo” to each other to maintain contact, even when they cannot see each other.
- Cows also communicate through a series of different body positions and facial expressions.
The Senses of Cattle
- Cows have excellent vision, they can almost see in 360-degree panoramic vision, so they can detect predators.
- Don’t compare us to dogs, cows don’t see in black and white. Cows see in color, except for the color red. Spanish bulls will charge at a matador’s red cape, because they are being tormented and provoked, not because of the color red.
- Despite the unkind comments many humans may make about cow pies and the unappealing bovine scent, cows have an excellent sense of smell and can smell scents from as much as six miles away.
Cattle Relationships
- Cows are extremely social animals. (This is a nice way of saying that we know we are popular, well-liked and humble.)
- A herd can comprise as many as 300 cattle.
- Just like humans there are some cows whose company we prefer more than others. Cows will form close bonds with some herd members, while avoiding others.
- A cow can recognize more than 100 other individual herd members.
Cattle Digestion
- Cows do not have four different stomachs, they have four different digestive compartments in one stomach. The four digestive compartments are: the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and the abomasum.
- Cows chewing on their cud is one stereotype that is true. We do spend a large part of our day eating and digesting. Cows spend 6-7 hours in a a day chewing cud.
- Cows don’t bite grass, they curl their tongues around it.
Cattle Colors
- Holsteins are black and white and each has a unique pattern.
- Jersey cows vary from dark brown to white and some are splashed with white.
Amazing Cow Facts
- Cows can climb up stairs, but cannot climb down. This is because cows knees do not bend properly.
- In a lifetime, a cow can produce almost 200,000 glasses of milk!